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Hi,
I would like to know what could be considered to be a good discount on B&O products (especially for TVs)?
Are they the same for the BeoPlay brand or can we expect bigger discounts?
Thanks
benoit: Hi, I would like to know what could be considered to be a good discount on B&O products (especially for TVs)? Are they the same for the BeoPlay brand or can we expect bigger discounts? Thanks
discounts have always been problematic with B&O.
since I usually buy one thing at a time (and often separated by a year or more in time) the "discounts" I have received have been tyically "in kind" and small.
the difference however was when I once took advantage of a special offer - there you are getting value for the same price, for example the current BL 3s with a Playmaker added for "free".
Or specific to your question, the current deal going in several geographies, where you get a "free" Beosound 8 and in some situations a ~AUD2,500 discount. But I think that deal relates to the pending update of Beovisions to the same of equivalent video engine as in the V1.
However if you are happy with the current BV10 and/or BV7 ranges why not take advantage of this offer ?
You might find you do not like the new range and have missed out a good deal.
Alternatively you might find the new range better ... and will have to console yourself with having gotten a good deal.
My BV8-40 was a good deal (demo model), but I still look at the V1 and go
It's driving my wife nuts
BeoNut since '75
I have been proposed a free extra fret for a V1-32... (while Loewe proposed me 15% off a Connect ID 40)
I know it's easy for me to say, and it hasn't always been this way trust me, but paying the dealer the full wack in the knowledge he will be a bit better off and therefore have a more stable business is far more important than any token discount you might secure.
I need my dealer,and my dealer needs me to buy and keep and buying at the full price. What you get back in after care, far outreaches a small percentage discount.
Beosound Stage, Beovision 8-40, Beolit 20, Beosound Explore.
I agree with Chris, the small discount has a smaller value than having a dealer that looks after you..
For example, our new tv broke down 3 times. My dealer lend us another Beo tv that we could use for the time we needed for considering - if we were to let them exchange the "old" one for a new tv or if we wanted to return the tv and refund our money. They have done alot of extra things for us, so now when I need to buy something in the BeO store I never ask for a discount.
Beste Grüße / Best regards
Schlaumeier
Setup Livingroom: BeoVision 10-40 and 10-32, BeoLab 6000 front, BeoLab 4000 rear, BeoLab 11, Ouverture, Apple TV 2 & 4, Airport Express, 6 x LC2.
Other Rooms: 3 x BeoSound 8, BeoVision 8-26, MX 4002, 2 x Keyring, 2 x Beolit 15, A1, Airport Express, 4 x Beo4, 2 x Beocom 5
Schlaumeier:Bought a new 10-40 in august incl. a new beosound 8 for free.
What is a Beosound 8??
Regards Graham
joeyboygolf:What is a Beosound 8??
Graham,
You can review it HERE
Regards Keith....
Keith Saunders: joeyboygolf:What is a Beosound 8?? Graham, You can review it HERE
Of course it is Keith!
I must be having a senior moment
I get 15% in two B&O stores in Denmark.
On one hand I don't like people always asking for discounts, (I once worked in a store), on the other hand I like to get things as cheap as possible.
Henrik Toubro:On one hand I don't like people always asking for discounts, (I once worked in a store)
I still do (non-B&O)...
...and I'm generally annoyed with people who have to haggle about everything. It's OK if it actually helps to get a good sale done, but most of the time it doesn't. There are a few groups of buyers:
Guess which group is most likely to actually have the total rounded down without asking?
Every euro I take off the total is directly out of my profits. I don't get to haggle at the flippin' groceries store, where I need to buy my food with that same money. I'd much rather throw something extra - possibly more profitable / discountable - into the deal instead of haggling down the price of a single low margin item. Some people actually realize that...
Of course, the customer is always right blah blah blah, so they don't get to hear this, instead I vent it here... or as my German acquintance likes to put it, "WIR SIND KEINE BAZAAR!"
Sorry, I have no idea about B&O discounts.
--mika
"annoyed"
I recomant you change your job ,you do not know anything about services. Or try renegotiate with bang olufsen struer , to have a higher profit.
If you are a good seller, you realize that buyers are trying to say. (Your products are too expensive) . Why do you think beoplay is so successful?
claudiu :I recomant you change your job ,you do not know anything about services. Or try renegotiate with bang olufsen struer , to have a higher profit.
In case it wasn't clear, the store has nothing to do with B&O the company, nor its products.
joeyboygolf:What is a Beosound 8?? Regards Graham
Getting any sort of discount from any business effectively means that you are taking advantage of all the other customers who are subsidising your discount by paying full / higher price.
You are also helping to increase the risk of that retailer / business going out of business.
On the other hand, margins can be so high that a retailer always expects to make most profitable sales with increased turnover through building in special offers from time to time. In theory, now that recommended retail prices are not legal, the most efficient retailers will be able to offer the lowest prices. Look forward to a world where you just buy on-line from a big remote shed.
Graham
I used to work in a Bang & Olufsen store and the people who asked for discounts were few and far between until the "recession" kicked in. Everyone thought they were doing you a huge favour and that they instantly deserved a discount, because BMW or Land Rover would give them one and "no one pays full price for B&O these days." Working in a London B&O store meant that we always had to be competitive and some people would rise their prices and then give a big discount to make the customer feel as if they were getting a great deal.
The way to combat this is in my opinion is related on a customer by customer basis. Typically we used to include installation if it was a standalone product within the price and of course the price that product is sold for has to pay that, although when you get someone who wants a BeoVision 10-40 on the wall cables chased in, surround sound connected etc etc all within the price it starts eating away at the margin and that is what typically people want. Therefore discounts are difficult to give, if you look at the custom install industry where I now work it is very different because every step of the work is accounted and charged for:
Design (CAD Drawings, 3D Renderings etc)
Project Management (Dedicated project manager for the duration of your project)
Cables (Usually 10000's of metres of CAT6 and 4 core speaker cable, as well as interconnects)
Equipment (Screens, speakers, control systems etc)
Installation (Physical installation of equipment, termination of data points, patch panels etc)
Programming (Labour required to programme AMX, Crestron, Control4, Savant, Lutron system)
Everything is a lot more transparent and manufacturers set suggested retail prices and clients but on reputation of each dealer, very rarely is a discount asked for unless it is B2B, because the person investing their money understands that you get what you pay for in this industry, however as with a lot of things in the CI market this has not reached B&O, as it is still very focused on the retail element of the business (Client walks in, buys a BeoVision 10-40 on a stand, sale done)
Any way that's just my 2 pennies, if you believe that you get what you pay for and require installation work done and want it done well, a discount should not be top of your priorities, quality of work should be and that shouldn't be discounted.
tournedos: Henrik Toubro:On one hand I don't like people always asking for discounts, (I once worked in a store) I still do (non-B&O)... ...and I'm generally annoyed with people who have to haggle about everything. It's OK if it actually helps to get a good sale done, but most of the time it doesn't. There are a few groups of buyers: - "Now gimme a good discount." (aha?) - "I'm a returning customer" (yes, I vaguely remember you were here haggling about that 15 euro item last year as well) - "Gimme a good price and I'll bring you more business later" (never to be seen again) People who think they are bringing me good business when they buy all my stock of something and want to get a large discount for that. The availability of some stuff is so bad, that this only leaves me with less money while I get to sell no-can-do to a dozen other, non-satisfied customers. People who actually come back, buy stuff regularly, and don't b**** and whine about the price every time Guess which group is most likely to actually have the total rounded down without asking? Every euro I take off the total is directly out of my profits. I don't get to haggle at the flippin' groceries store, where I need to buy my food with that same money. I'd much rather throw something extra - possibly more profitable / discountable - into the deal instead of haggling down the price of a single low margin item. Some people actually realize that... Of course, the customer is always right blah blah blah, so they don't get to hear this, instead I vent it here... or as my German acquintance likes to put it, "WIR SIND KEINE BAZAAR!" Sorry, I have no idea about B&O discounts.
I can relate to everything you write, I just didn't have the patience to write all that on my iPad :o)
The store I worked in was also a non-B&O store.
Well if i get an extra years warranty just for shopping on the BeoPlay website, why bother with going to a store in the first place and getting the bulk standard 3 years warranty.
I write that in jest, because i think it's a bit off of B&O to open a website which offers subtle advantages over it's retail stores. Are their products only going to last 3 years because i get it in store, or do you believe they will actually last 4? Which is it?
Chris Townsend: Well if i get an extra years warranty just for shopping on the BeoPlay website, why bother with going to a store in the first place and getting the bulk standard 3 years warranty. I write that in jest, because i think it's a bit off of B&O to open a website which offers subtle advantages over it's retail stores. Are their products only going to last 3 years because i get it in store, or do you believe they will actually last 4? Which is it?
You don't get an extra warranty. There's no 4 year guarantee. It's a 2 year warranty with proof of purchase if you don't register the product and buy it elsewhere (ie. Apple store in the US) but when you buy from BeoPlay it's automatically registered and the standard 3 year guarantee is already included without having to fill anything extra out. At least that's how it works in the US.
Also on another note ... wasn't it once considered poor form to have a discussion like this on a public forum? If you look at other message boards for high end brands (ie. Paneristi, Rolexforums, etc.) threads typically get locked for talking discounts publicly.
Alex: Also on another note ... wasn't it once considered poor form to have a discussion like this on a public forum? If you look at other message boards for high end brands (ie. Paneristi, Rolexforums, etc.) threads typically get locked for talking discounts publicly.
That's mostly due to pressure from the manufacturers. Why? Some of those users (I'd call myself a "Paneristi", I guess) know the market extremely well and are often treated differently from one-off customers. I can secure a min 10% discount from my local dealer simply because I put lots of business his way. However, they don't like new users to know this, I guess.
I did chuckle at the comments above where people genuinely posted that we should pay full price for our products....to keep our dealers in business. Does that apply to paying full price for a house, to keep builders in business? Or full price for your brand new Audi A3, to keep the dealership in business? Or avoiding the sales and paying full price for clothes to keep your local retailer in business? Or not asking for a pay increase so you can keep your employer in business?
Some people are worryingly kind on this board :)
I have never worked in retail, although we do supply services and products B2B and B2C, I wouldn't cal it retail though.
We have customers who are regular customers who never ask for discount. Their quotes show our standard selling price for the products supplied. Little add on bits required, and bits of labour are often left off when quoting because they are good customers.
We have customers who are regular customers who always ask for discount. They typically spend no where near as much as the non discount requesting customers, and yet think they are our best customers. Their quotes show our standard selling price for the products supplied, plus every nut, bolt, screw, tin of paint etc, and a load of labour plus project management costs. If we have to travel to and from their job it will be charged. They also get a discount, which makes them feel happy inside.
Guess which ones typically pay less for the work completed, and get better after sales care?
In order to find out what reasonable discounts are I think we have to somehow get hold of a purchase price list for dealers. There must be a way to get hold of that?
Just the dealer's cost list would tell you what their margins are.
But as many have said in this thread, dealers give good service - and some give extraordinary service.
And running a low traffic luxury brand store is not easy !
I would rather have a happy dealer who supports me with good service and good advice and takes care of my needs over the long term -- that is worth more to me than a discount.
And I am discovering that B&O is quite economical these days - here are so local prices for other hi-fi kit !!
These are all SACD players: Marantz = AU$2,780, Electrocompaniet (never heard of them !) = AU$3,999, Krell = AU14,999
Record decks: Michell Technodec = AU$1,999 Threns TD309 = AU$2,499 Linn Sondek LP12 = AU4,499
Sim2 crystal 35 projector = AU7,999
Vienna Acoustic master speaker "Music" = AU34,999 or the "smaller" Beethoven at AU7,999
And I have not include a panel and a bluray player and integration kit to drive the projector, nor a radio and amplifier to drive the speakers
And they all look as ugly as sin, so I think in many ways B&O is a bargain: good sound, good looks, good service, good integration, good price
Zwets: In order to find out what reasonable discounts are I think we have to somehow get hold of a purchase price list for dealers. There must be a way to get hold of that?
Ugh. Sometimes I remember why I don't come back here very often. This is as stupid as it is tasteless.
I kind of agree with Moxxey's comments. There'll always be someone who's gonna spend 20k on a TV etc to 'keep the shop in business'. Coming from a marketing background, these sales guys aren't your friends, they like you because they like your credit card! They are sales people!
TripEnglish: Zwets: In order to find out what reasonable discounts are I think we have to somehow get hold of a purchase price list for dealers. There must be a way to get hold of that? Ugh. Sometimes I remember why I don't come back here very often. This is as stupid as it is tasteless.
Uh. I think I am beginning to agree with you..